Pup tossed in trash gets a 'forever family'

RANCHO SANTA FE  After a painful start in life, puppy Pongo now has a bright future with a ‘forever family.’

Pongo was about five weeks old when he was rescued from a dumpster in Chula Vista in May. He and three other spaniel-mixes were found crying in a box. Their ears had been cut off.

The puppies are recuperating at the nonprofit Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, with Pongo the first to recover. The other pups should be ready for adoption in several weeks, center spokeswoman Jessica Gercke said Thursday.

The center received about 10 adoption applications for Pongo, Gercke said. He went home Wednesday with a San Diego family that has two other rescued pets, a cat and a senior dog.

Pongo has two new playmates in the Lanin-Grossfield household. /Helen Woodward Animal Center photos